Long-lasting effects on habituation and passive avoidance performance of a period of chronic ethanol administration in the rat.
Rats were fed a liquid diet to which an increasing concentration of ethanol was added over a period of 3 weeks; a concentration of 10% ethanol was then maintained for a further 4 weeks. The rats were then returned to a normal ad libitum diet of rat pellets. In order to assess the long-term effects of this ethanol diet, the performance of different groups of rats was assessed 3 and 5 months after the normal diet was resumed. At both times, the ex-ethanol-treated rats showed significantly impaired between-day habituation of exploratory head-dipping at holes that were empty, but normal between-day habituation of head-dipping at the hole with the same object underneath on all 3 days. The ex-ethanol-treated rats also showed a reduced response to the introduction of an object at a previously empty hole and, following this, a subsequent disruption of between-day habituation of head-dipping at this hole. Within-session habituation of head-dipping was unimpaired. There were no deficits in the acquisition or short-term retention of a passive avoidance response, but on retention testing 24 h after training the ex-ethanol-treated rats showed a decreased latency to enter the shocked compartment. On the trials 24 h and 48 h after training the rats tested 5 months after their ethanol treatment showed impaired extinction of the passive avoidance response.
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UMDS Division of Pharmacology, University of London, Guy's Hospital, U.K.
Mabbutt
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D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D000431:Ethanol